Request by Richard to return

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DDRM

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by DDRM »

Hi Folks,

I have been in discussion with Richard about how we can make it mutually acceptable for him to return. Richard recognises that his tone sometimes comes across as a little abrasive, but also finds some of the comments back to him difficult to handle. We discussed moderating some, or even all, members of the forum, but for now would like to propose that in fact it is just Richard's posts that are moderated. The rationale for this is:

1) If in the judgement of the moderator(s), Richard's tone is too abrasive, we'll ask him to tone it down.
2) We hope that, since it's been through moderation, readers will try to be slower to take offence, since at least one other person thought the tone reasonable.
3) Please will everyone bear in mind Richard's acknowledged sensitivity to criticism, and express it in moderate tones? To be honest, this should apply to every post and every reader, on a forum like this. If I believe that any posters are causing offence, I reserve the right to moderate THEIR posts, too.
4) One complaint to which Richard is sensitive is that the forum tends to become "Ask Richard" - partly because his responses are usually so swift and comprehensive that they pre-empt anyone else contributing, and partly because some potential responders fear being "told off" by Richard. By passing his responses through moderation there will be more time for others to respond if they wish, and hopefully the tarter corrections will be modified.

Of course one price is that Richard's responses will be delayed at least until a moderator can check them, but that seems better than not getting his advice at all, and/or the forum closing down.

The forum has been very quiet recently - can I encourage everyone to participate in whatever way suits them -asking questions, offering solutions/advice, or maybe suggesting interesting programming challenges, etc?

I hope all of that is acceptable: if not, I hope you'll express your disapprobation in moderate tones... ;-)

David
Edja
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue 03 Apr 2018, 12:07
Location: Belgium

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by Edja »

David, Richard, All,

I have NEVER considered Richard's comments as abrasive. To the contrary I have always enjoyed his answers for their precision and, yes, also for the style.
But if this is the way to get Richard back on board then let's do this.
I look forward to see the forum come back to live again.

Edja
RNBW
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu 05 Apr 2018, 21:41

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by RNBW »

I echo Edja's comment.
User avatar
hellomike
Posts: 184
Joined: Sat 09 Jun 2018, 09:47
Location: Amsterdam

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by hellomike »

Richard's return is without any doubt very welcome!
RichardRussell

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by RichardRussell »

DDRM wrote: Tue 15 Oct 2019, 08:48By passing his responses through moderation there will be more time for others to respond if they wish, and hopefully the tarter corrections will be modified.
Whilst that is no doubt a laudable objective, in practice it isn't working as you hoped. Although my posts are typically delayed by a few hours because of the moderation process, when they eventually do appear on the forum they are inserted in the thread (and timed) according to when I submitted them, not to when they were approved. So, after the event, it can appear that responses from others that were made before my post appeared were in reply to mine, when they weren't.

What's more, as far as I know the member(s) who had earlier complained about this becoming an "ask Richard" forum, and whom the moderation of my messages was specifically designed to placate, have not posted a single message since. So to the extent that it was hoped that their expertise (greater than mine in many respects) would not be lost to the forum, this seems to have failed.

If the only solution is for me to return to the previous 'banned' state, so be it.
mavison
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue 03 Apr 2018, 17:27

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by mavison »

My preferred solution would be to remove the moderation from your posts, so they can benefit the people who do use this forum even more.

Your help has always been invaluable to me, and very welcome.
RichardRussell

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by RichardRussell »

mavison wrote: Fri 06 Dec 2019, 11:48 My preferred solution would be to remove the moderation from your posts
Simply removing moderation would not be helpful, because it would restore the situation to what it was when I voluntarily quit the forum, and I'd feel duty-bound to do the same again. It's true that it was less stressful than now, because I knew I couldn't post and was therefore spared the anxiety of not knowing if and when my posts would get approved. However not being able to post was sometimes an irritation (especially since I pay for the hosting).

The background to where we find ourselves today is that I suggested to the forum's admin that one solution to the impasse might be to moderate those (few) members who have complained about my posts in the past. That way, a neutral third party would be able to make a judgement on whether their complaints were justified or not; if they were, their posts would be approved and I would be reprimanded and possibly sanctioned.

However the admin felt that a better solution would be not to moderate those who have complained, but to moderate me! I can see why that was a more attractive solution: just one member being moderated rather than several, and being able to block posts deemed inappropriate before they appeared at the forum rather than afterwards. So I agreed, as the only solution on offer that would allow me to post again.
mavison
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue 03 Apr 2018, 17:27

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by mavison »

@Richard: If simply removing moderation is not helpful to you, then I do not really care how you resolve it with the forum admin as long as you feel comfortable to stay
DDRM

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by DDRM »

Hi Folks,

Richard has found it unacceptable being the only person moderated on the forum, and has decided not to post under those conditions. He has also said that he would find it impossible to return to the situation where all posts are unmoderated, even with closer moderator oversight. He wishes to continue to be able to post, and it is my view that that is strongly in the interests of the group as a whole.

Richard’s preferred solution is that a few members of the forum should be moderated, to reduce the risk of conflict. Since Richard himself stands accused of having posted inflammatory messages in the past those moderated it would have to include him.

I would find it difficult to guess which members should be moderated, since my views and Richard's of what constitutes inflammatory posts differs.

My suggestion, therefore, is that for a trial period we make all posts to the forum moderated: Kendall and I will moderate each other’s posts. This will inevitably delay things a bit, but the volume of posts at the moment is not such that it will be too onerous a task. We will try to make sure moderation never takes longer than 24 hours. If people feel the delay is excessive, we can consider appointing more moderators, and setting up a rota to cover it, say twice a day.

Any thoughts/comments welcome, either as posts or by private message.

Best wishes,

David
mikeg
Posts: 101
Joined: Sat 23 Jun 2018, 19:52

Re: Request by Richard to return

Post by mikeg »

I look forward to seeing Richard return.
Focus is on code subject. Feel free to judge the quality of my work.